Ask Alice G (Future Trainee at Freshfields) Anything!

[Jaysen]

Hi Alice! Would you mind sharing which steps you took to improve your presentation skills? I feel like I could improve this and would appreciate any tips and recommendations.

Just to jump on this - I would highly recommend Toastmasters if you're having trouble finding somewhere where you can actually practise. They're a very supportive group, where everyone seeks to improve their public speaking skills (either through planned presentations or impromptu 'table topics'). It'll be virtual at the moment, but I've no doubt they'll be very welcoming.

 

[Jaysen]

Hi there To be honest, for me, I sought opportunities where I could speak publicly and I have been very lucky in the sense that through my work with TCLA and @Jaysen's support I have been able to speak publicly on a number of occasions now. I know, however, that this is a privilege and not something which is so easily accessible, not least during a pandemic. If I was at uni I would have gotten involved with debating as a means to boost my confidence in this area and practise this, are you at a university currently? I do think that practise makes perfect so I would really recommend trying to seek out some opportunities to speak publicly and present.

Other things I have done to help mindset has been to listen to other people speaking - some of the best orators are slow and take their time and really allow for pauses. I recognised in myself when I went to speak, I was so rehearsed and wanted to get the words out that I would speak too fast which led me to stumble and then panic. With that said, it can really help to try and analyse what you find quite scary about presenting/what might be holding you back. Now, I never script what I want to say but merely have bullet points of what I need to cover to allow me to be more conversational in my speech.

On the subject of mindset, I try to use breathing techniques to stay calm when I know I have a presentation or talk upcoming and I just think to myself that no one in the audience wants to see me fail or faulter. I think the panic can come from fear of messing up and being judged but when you try to really dispel that from your mind it definitely feels less daunting.

I think you're such a great example of someone who identified an area they struggled with and actively sought public speaking opportunities to combat it - even if they were very scary at the time.

Your talks are so good now; I'd never think this was something you had trouble with in the past!

 

[Gabriella7498]

Hi there To be honest, for me, I sought opportunities where I could speak publicly and I have been very lucky in the sense that through my work with TCLA and @Jaysen's support I have been able to speak publicly on a number of occasions now. I know, however, that this is a privilege and not something which is so easily accessible, not least during a pandemic. If I was at uni I would have gotten involved with debating as a means to boost my confidence in this area and practise this, are you at a university currently? I do think that practise makes perfect so I would really recommend trying to seek out some opportunities to speak publicly and present.

Other things I have done to help mindset has been to listen to other people speaking - some of the best orators are slow and take their time and really allow for pauses. I recognised in myself when I went to speak, I was so rehearsed and wanted to get the words out that I would speak too fast which led me to stumble and then panic. With that said, it can really help to try and analyse what you find quite scary about presenting/what might be holding you back. Now, I never script what I want to say but merely have bullet points of what I need to cover to allow me to be more conversational in my speech.

On the subject of mindset, I try to use breathing techniques to stay calm when I know I have a presentation or talk upcoming and I just think to myself that no one in the audience wants to see me fail or faulter. I think the panic can come from fear of messing up and being judged but when you try to really dispel that from your mind it definitely feels less daunting.

Thank you, @Jaysen and @Alice G !! I'm no longer at uni but will definitely give toastmasters a go and apply these other tips!

 

[Alice G]

I think you're such a great example of someone who identified an area they struggled with and actively sought public speaking opportunities to combat it - even if they were very scary at the time.

Your talks are so good now; I'd never think this was something you had trouble with in the past!

This means so much @Jaysen, thank you! Definitely wouldn’t have improved nearly as well without the great opportunities to speak with TCLA!

 

[Tarnjeet]

Hey @Alice G ,

I have an interview this Friday for a paralegal role with a private debt manager/creditor provider company- this is an area that I know little about so was wondering if you could share resources on this please. I've got the christopher stoakes book but don't think I'll have time to go through it before Friday- are there any more comprehensive, more succinct resources?

Thanks,

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hi @Alice G . Hope you are doing well. I just watched your webinar on how to tackle case studies and had a small question regarding the Freshfields' analytical interview?

My question is, there isn't any written submission/ oral presentation that is involved in the analytical interview, right?

So if you're just given an article to read and the interviewers decide the course that your interview will take by asking you questions, how is it a type of "Case Study exercise".

I mean, where are we even supposed to use methods like PESTLE or the spider diagram or even the law firm method that you talked about?

Thanks in advance.

 

[FlapJack3000]

Hi, I am sorry if this has been asked before. I was wondering when you have graduated from university and when will you start your training contract? What work experiences have you done / doing in the meanwhile?

I have graduated last year and I have been working as an in-house legal intern for the past couple of months. However, I still do not have a training contract lined up, so I am worried that the larger the time gap grows since graduation, the slimmer my chances will be.

Thanks in advance

 

[Alice G]

Hey @Alice G ,

I have an interview this Friday for a paralegal role with a private debt manager/creditor provider company- this is an area that I know little about so was wondering if you could share resources on this please. I've got the christopher stoakes book but don't think I'll have time to go through it before Friday- are there any more comprehensive, more succinct resources?

Thanks,

I apologise for not seeing this until today! I must have missed the notification and I am terribly sorry for not helping, I really do hope the interview went well!

 

[Alice G]

Hi @Alice G . Hope you are doing well. I just watched your webinar on how to tackle case studies and had a small question regarding the Freshfields' analytical interview?

My question is, there isn't any written submission/ oral presentation that is involved in the analytical interview, right?

So if you're just given an article to read and the interviewers decide the course that your interview will take by asking you questions, how is it a type of "Case Study exercise".

I mean, where are we even supposed to use methods like PESTLE or the spider diagram or even the law firm method that you talked about?

Thanks in advance.

Hello there,

I really apologise if the webinar was not as clear as it could have been regards this, the focus was more on M&A case studies where you receive an information pack to either write advice or present orally to an interviewer which was why these techniques focused on these instances. I only very briefly touched on other types of case study interviews, such as article style ones as you mention, as they were less of the focus.

I cannot say anything regards the FF analytical interview - here is a link to their website which gives some insight https://ukgraduates.freshfields.com/how-do-i-apply/our-application-process.

PESTLE and the law firm approach can still arguably work with an article style of interview though, I think. Remember, as i said in the recording, this is not prescriptive and if you feel these techniques are not best suited to an article driven interview then definitely don't worry and do just go with what works for you.

The thing with the law firm dept technique and PESTLE is that these approaches really don't need to be followed rigidly - they are better thought of as techniques and guiding frameworks to keep in your mind which will hopefully stimulate your thinking to consider issues which may not be as apparent on what you read, whether in an article or a case study bundle. These techniques are more for your benefit to help you to remember to consider these various different points and angles, which may otherwise be overlooked.

So for example, when you are doing your AC prep and reading articles to practise, you can still be potentially thinking about the law firm departments and how things like finance, tax, litigation might be relevant to what you read. Similarly, PESTLE can help in a similar way to help you to think about environmental issues or political concerns related to what you are reading about. It may not be that every law firm dept would be relevant or indeed every PESTLE point but it is merely a framework to help guide your thinking and to catalyse your mind to think about points which may not be as obvious or which, in the pressure of an AC, you may have neglected to consider if it was not as obvious.

As for spider diagrams, again, these are not prescriptive. I am just a person who finds these useful in all situations whether it be work, study etc.

I hope this helps you a little bit!

 

[Alice G]

Hi, I am sorry if this has been asked before. I was wondering when you have graduated from university and when will you start your training contract? What work experiences have you done / doing in the meanwhile?

I have graduated last year and I have been working as an in-house legal intern for the past couple of months. However, I still do not have a training contract lined up, so I am worried that the larger the time gap grows since graduation, the slimmer my chances will be.

Thanks in advance

Hi,

I graduated in 2017, started looking into commercial law in Oct 2018 and I applied in the 2018/19 cycle and 2019/2020 cycle and in the latter I obtained my TC. I start in Feb 2022 - currently doing the PGDL and will be following this with the LPC. I won't detail everything I have done as there are a few things but I hope to be able to offer some insight and help.

The experiences I probably relied on most when applying and interviewing were taken from my time working at Starbucks. I held a barista position with them and then became a supervisor. I found that having teamwork and leadership experience was invaluable and taught me a lot. The other point to mention is whilst you may think an experience does not relate to law on the face of it, it probably does. Experiences and work placements do not need to be 'impressive' the key is how you approach those experiences, what you learn and what you take away from them so there is no such thing as bad experience or experiences you shouldn't be discussing. It is down to you on apps to draw out what is relevant and how these experiences have helped to shape your motivation and skill set to want to be a lawyer. I guess what I am saying here is that building your experience and skill set is all that matters and you can build the relevant skills in a whole host of positions.

I understand your concern about the gap and think it is something many of us have had at some stage. In all honesty, I see my gap as a strength because what I did within that time really helped me to refine and figure out what I wanted in a career and my experiences in that time pointed me towards commercial law and are very much why I am following this path. Experiences are valuable not just for growth but to help us figure stuff out. So, please try not to put too much pressure on yourself, the gap between uni and getting a TC can be something we all think about but firms know how tough this process is and, like i say, the interim experiences can be really helpful!

I hope this puts you at ease a little and if you have any other questions let me know!

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello there,

I really apologise if the webinar was not as clear as it could have been regards this, the focus was more on M&A case studies where you receive an information pack to either write advice or present orally to an interviewer which was why these techniques focused on these instances. I only very briefly touched on other types of case study interviews, such as article style ones as you mention, as they were less of the focus.

I cannot say anything regards the FF analytical interview - here is a link to their website which gives some insight https://ukgraduates.freshfields.com/how-do-i-apply/our-application-process.

PESTLE and the law firm approach can still arguably work with an article style of interview though, I think. Remember, as i said in the recording, this is not prescriptive and if you feel these techniques are not best suited to an article driven interview then definitely don't worry and do just go with what works for you.

The thing with the law firm dept technique and PESTLE is that these approaches really don't need to be followed rigidly - they are better thought of as techniques and guiding frameworks to keep in your mind which will hopefully stimulate your thinking to consider issues which may not be as apparent on what you read, whether in an article or a case study bundle. These techniques are more for your benefit to help you to remember to consider these various different points and angles, which may otherwise be overlooked.

So for example, when you are doing your AC prep and reading articles to practise, you can still be potentially thinking about the law firm departments and how things like finance, tax, litigation might be relevant to what you read. Similarly, PESTLE can help in a similar way to help you to think about environmental issues or political concerns related to what you are reading about. It may not be that every law firm dept would be relevant or indeed every PESTLE point but it is merely a framework to help guide your thinking and to catalyse your mind to think about points which may not be as obvious or which, in the pressure of an AC, you may have neglected to consider if it was not as obvious.

As for spider diagrams, again, these are not prescriptive. I am just a person who finds these useful in all situations whether it be work, study etc.

I hope this helps you a little bit!

Thanks a lot for the answer, Alice.

 

[Alice07]

Hi Alice,

If you apply for a direct training contract at Freshfields without having done a vacation scheme before do you think they would reject you for this?

 

[Alice G]

Hi Alice,

If you apply for a direct training contract at Freshfields without having done a vacation scheme before do you think they would reject you for this?

Hi Alice!

You do not need to do a vac scheme with the firm to be considered for a direct training contract. Indeed, I know candidates who haven't had any vac scheme experiences at any firm who have interviewed for a direct TC with FF.

Just in case you have some other questions about the process, I found this FAQ page really helpful when I was applying to FF: https://ukgraduates.freshfields.com/faqs

 

[k.k]

Hi Alice,
I was wondering when applying for a direct TC at FF how to discuss a vac scheme completed at another MC firm but not having converted it into a TC.
Thanks

 

[Alice G]

Hi Alice,
I was wondering when applying for a direct TC at FF how to discuss a vac scheme completed at another MC firm but not having converted it into a TC.
Thanks

Hi there,

You don't have to broach not converting or anything like that when you write about your vac scheme experience, you just want to focus on what you did and what you gained from the experience itself

 

[k.k]

Hi there,

You don't have to broach not converting or anything like that when you write about your vac scheme experience, you just want to focus on what you did and what you gained from the experience itself

Thanks Alice

 

[f41zal]

Hi Alice, I hope you are keeping well. I have been following your beneficial advice, thank you!

I have made an application for a direct TC at Freshfields. I have been shortlisted for the Watson Glaser Test. I don't know how ecstatic I should be, given many people probably get to this stage?

I just wanted your advice on how best to prepare for the WG test. They have only given me 3 days to complete it. Any advice would be highly appreciated!

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi Alice, I hope you are keeping well. I have been following your beneficial advice, thank you!

I have made an application for a direct TC at Freshfields. I have been shortlisted for the Watson Glaser Test. I don't know how ecstatic I should be, given many people probably get to this stage?

I just wanted your advice on how best to prepare for the WG test. They have only given me 3 days to complete it. Any advice would be highly appreciated!

There are some threads /resources we have that might be of interest:

Watson Glaser Cheat/Hint Sheet

Hi all, As discussed, here's a WG cheat/hint document a friend and I put together which hopefully you will find helpful! Obviously, feel free to adapt and change it as you see fit so it works best for you. Good luck! Dan

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Watson Glaser Practice Questions

Hi All, An anonymous candidate sent me over these practice questions for the Watson Glaser Test which they found publicly available online. In the spirit of sharing this information with everyone, I thought I'd post it publicly here. While there are no answers to the questions (aside from the...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

The Watson Glaser Test | Advice from a Graduate Recruitment Specialist

Advice and resources for the Watson Glaser Test by Jessica Booker Jess has spent 10 years working in graduate recruitment, including as trainee recruitment manager for a magic circle firm. She is the founder of Star Potential, a consultancy business which provides a range of services in early...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

 

[f41zal]

There are some threads /resources we have that might be of interest:

Watson Glaser Cheat/Hint Sheet

Hi all, As discussed, here's a WG cheat/hint document a friend and I put together which hopefully you will find helpful! Obviously, feel free to adapt and change it as you see fit so it works best for you. Good luck! Dan

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Watson Glaser Practice Questions

Hi All, An anonymous candidate sent me over these practice questions for the Watson Glaser Test which they found publicly available online. In the spirit of sharing this information with everyone, I thought I'd post it publicly here. While there are no answers to the questions (aside from the...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

The Watson Glaser Test | Advice from a Graduate Recruitment Specialist

Advice and resources for the Watson Glaser Test by Jessica Booker Jess has spent 10 years working in graduate recruitment, including as trainee recruitment manager for a magic circle firm. She is the founder of Star Potential, a consultancy business which provides a range of services in early...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Thank you for this Jessica!

 

[Bee6]

Hi everyone - hope you all are well! please may I know if Freshfields' WG test is timed and if so, how many questions and how long is the test? Thank you!